When Reinhard asked her if she had any intention of returning home, Elsa simply bowed her head.
"No. I'm sorry."
Reinhard’s expression fell, clouding with a look of profound, genuine loneliness. "Well, if you’ve thought it through and made your choice, then I suppose that’s that. Though I suppose it's not really my place to say whether it's good or bad."
Turning back to Jin, he bowed his head as well. "Jin, she’s a handful, but I’m leaving her in your care."
Jin nodded, already expecting that he would have to look after her for the foreseeable future.
"I have much to learn, but please look after me," Elsa added, using the formal phrasing of a ward to a guardian. Jin wasn't sure she fully understood the implications of the words she chose, but the "looking after" part felt like it might take on a weightier meaning than he had intended.
"…Still, to think that you really weren't born in this world, Jin."
It was a sentiment Reinhard had once voiced idly while they were relaxing in the hot springs on Kunlun Island.
"Yeah. Well, that’s how it is."
"It explains why you're so ignorant of common sense," Reinhard noted.
"But it makes sense now," Elsa added.
Both of them seemed to have finally found a way to rationalize the sheer absurdity of Jin’s existence.
Sensing the shift in the atmosphere, Jin moved to the next point. "The other thing is, we need to decide what to do from here on." This was the second reason he had summoned Reinhard to the island.
"From here on?"
"Yeah. I delivered an ultimatum to the Unifilar. Even so, they probably won't stop." Jin crossed his arms, his face tightening with concern. "They spout slogans about the era before the Great Magic War, but in reality, I think they just want power. I don't like their methods. But while I can handle the technical side and short-term tactics, I'm not a strategist."
Reinhard nodded slowly. "I see. I follow your meaning. You need someone who can look at the big picture?"
"Basically. To be more precise, I want a strategist’s knowledge. I can use Trans Info to copy it."
Reinhard gave a wry smile. "Right. You have that trick up your sleeve, don't you?"
"Actually, it seems it was a common technique back in the Predecessor's day. It has its flaws, though. If the subject resists, the transfer fails. And while it works on golems or automata, it can't be used on humans. Plus, you need the right aptitude to use the spell itself."
"Wait. Didn't it work when you inherited your knowledge from Adriana—from the Predecessor?"
"Ah, that. It’s only possible if the recipient has the same magic pattern as the donor. Without that synchronization, it's impossible. That’s why it took Reiko a thousand years to find me."
Reinhard looked visibly disappointed. "…I see. That is a shame."
"Rai-nii, can't you learn Trans Info?" Elsa asked, voicing a sudden thought.
"It’s true that things would be much easier if Reinhard could use it, but apparently it requires quite a bit of aptitude."
Despite the low odds, they decided to give it a try. With Reiko’s assistance, they would test if Reinhard could transfer information between two magi-crystals. The fact that they dove straight into an experiment in the middle of a conversation proved that Jin and Reinhard were cut from the same cloth.
"Okay, the magi-formula goes like this, and the keyword is this."
"Hmm. It certainly looks complicated."
"Don't worry, we're just checking your potential. You don't have to get it right on the first go."
"Understood. Let's try. Trans Info!"
For a fleeting second, the magi-crystal seemed to pulse with a faint light. Reiko, who had been monitoring the flow of magical energy with Trace, eventually shook her head.
"I am sorry, but your aptitude appears to be low. However, with training, you might be able to reach Level 2."
"Level 2? How much knowledge does that cover?"
"Well..." Reiko began her explanation. Language was Level 1, action and movement patterns were Level 2, general knowledge ranged from 3 to 5, specialized knowledge from 3 to 7, and the subconscious was Level 6 to 8. The levels depended on the complexity of the data and often overlapped.
"Level 2... So just language and basic movement patterns." Reinhard looked discouraged for a moment, but he quickly brightened. "Still, that means I’ll be able to build golems far more advanced than anything I can make now!"
"Rai-nii really is an engineering nut," Elsa whispered from the sidelines.
"Do you want to try too, Elsa?" Jin asked.
"Yeah. Let me try."
She went through the same process. "Trans Info!...How was that?"
"It appears she could reach Level 3," Reiko reported.
"What! I’m jealous, Elsa!" Reinhard shouted. Elsa let out a small, rare giggle at his dramatic reaction.
"At any rate," Jin continued, "even if they aren't world-class, do you know anyone close to us who’s good at strategy?"
"It’s not as if I don't know anyone, but..." Reinhard made a troubled face.
"...Brother Moritz," Elsa murmured.
"Hm?" Jin hadn't quite caught it.
"...My brother, Moritz."
"Moritz?"
"He’s Elsa’s eldest brother," Reinhard explained. "Lord Moritz has a frail constitution, but they say no one can match him when it comes to intellect and strategy."
The younger brother, Fritz, was a hot-headed warrior, while the eldest was a delicate genius. It was a family of extremes. In a perfect world, they would cooperate, but Elsa’s father, Georg Randol von Amber, was on terrible terms with Reinhard’s father, Wolfgang Randol von Morgan. Siblings didn't always share a bond.
"He doesn't even need to be that exceptional," Jin mused.
Laozi’s processing power was likely tens of thousands of times greater than a human’s. If Jin could just provide him with the foundational knowledge, the golem could run simulations and master the field in no time.
Wait, Jin thought. "I could just create a dedicated military advisor or staff officer."
"Jin?" Reinhard looked at him with a puzzled expression.
"Ah, sorry. I was just thinking out loud," Jin apologized. "Anyway, it’s not something I need this second. Moving on—do you think I could get my hands on a suit of full-body armor?"
"Full-body armor?"
"Yeah." Jin explained that he had discovered data regarding something called "reinforced armor" within Anne’s memory.
"Reinforced armor! Now that’s something I’d love to see. It might be hard to find in the Celuroa Kingdom, but I’ll see what I can do." Reinhard was clearly intrigued and began brainstorming ways to acquire a set.
"Lastly... I need to figure out what I'm doing from here on."
As Jin spoke, a shadow of loneliness crossed Reinhard’s face. "I see. So our journey together ends here, then?"
"What? No."
"Huh? Is that not what you meant?"
"Not at all," Jin clarified quickly. "I’m still very interested in traveling. There’s so much in this world I haven't seen, and I definitely want to visit the Shouro Empire."
"Really?"
Jin laughed and nodded. "Of course. Why would I lie about that? I just want to spend a few days here first to upgrade our equipment."
"Tomorrow is the day we cross the Torres River, isn't it?"
Reinhard nodded. "Yes. We can get across easily enough, but finding a ferry that can carry a carriage is difficult. If we miss our window tomorrow, there's no telling when the next one will be."
Jin hummed in thought. "Would it be possible for me to catch up with you later?"
"It would be difficult, but possible," Reinhard answered. "Once we cross the river, there’s a checkpoint where they record everyone entering the royal capital's Special Vigilance Area. If our numbers don't match when we leave, it’ll cause a massive headache."
"So as long as I'm there while we're actually inside the Special Vigilance Area, we're fine?"
"Essentially, yes. It should take about five to ten days to pass through."
Jin calculated. Five days would be plenty of time to prepare a significant amount of equipment. The problem was the carriage; with neither Jin nor Reiko there, there would be no one to look after it or move it if needed.
"Father, why don't you simply install a Warp Gate near the fort ruins?" Reiko suggested.
"Good point... The Celuroa Kingdom is starting to smell like a powder keg. We should establish a forward base there."
"Wait, a what?"
Jin realized he had more explaining to do to a very bewildered Reinhard.